Looking back, summer break 2017 also overflowed with teacher wisdom, and we thought we’d share both years’ harvest in one, easy-to-access summary post. We’ll add more articles here as they arrive so be sure to check back!

The students who are filling our classes

Future of History blogger Sarah Cooper considers the need to plan for quiet spaces where less talkative students can find respite from the energetic sharing of many classrooms in Quiet, Please! Rethinking Our Learning Spaces.

Cheryl Mizerny, who writes our blog It’s Not Easy Being Tween, resolves to spend this school year cultivating a culture of kindness among her middle level students as she joins with them to create The Kind Classroom.

Kids on the Cusp blogger Mary Tarashuk adds three science units to her fourth grade classroom this year. In Using Fiction to Launch Our 4th Grade Science she shares how she plans to use the 2017 Global Read Aloud selection (The Wild Robot) in her Literacy Workshop to help ready students for her new science unit on animal and plant adaptation.

Digital tools can help teachers create strong classroom communities

Class Apps blogger Curtis Chandler suggests Tech Tools (to) Help You Hit the Ground Running and streamline lesson planning, create secure class websites, connect with families, and gather information on how your new students like to learn.

More places to find back-to-school resources!

For a treasure trove of teacher wisdom we’ve collected over past years, visit MiddleWeb’s Back to School Resources post. The freshly updated content offers ideas for dealing with first week crises, understanding middle graders, getting students focused and schools operational, bringing parents into the learning community, and more.

If you’d like to hear even more from colleagues, teacher and EdWeek blogger Larry Ferlazzo has assembled a list of his Classroom Q&A back-to-school conversations with accomplished educators. Throughout the year, be sure to watch for his latest posts here. Or just follow him on Twitter @larryferlazzo.

Susan Curtis is co-editor of MiddleWeb.com. In a long career, she has taught middle grades students, worked in human services, edited a variety of publications and wrangled the reference desk in libraries.